Thursday, August 20, 2015

Have not had anything too informative that has not been covered in this blog in the past, but had Paul's Space Bike come in with a broken seatpost, the end stuck fast in the frame. That makes riding difficult if not down right uncomfortable.

You need two distinct forces to remove a stuck stub of post; mechanical and temperature.

I've never met a stuck post I could not remove yet, so though I don't relish these fixes, they are strangely alluring in their challenge.

First thing I did was look to gaining some mechanical force. Trying to grab the stub with a pipe wrench or other "crimping" style tool will only ovalize the tube and create pressure on the inside of the seat tube, increasing the difficulty of removal. So I drilled a through hole in the remaining material that allowed the passage of a 5mm allen tool that I would then use as a lever to turn and lift with.

Next, I applied heat to the inside of the post in it's full diameter; enough to create some expansion of the seat tube and loosen the potential corrosion, but not enough to affect the paint.

Then it was a simple twist and pull with a few choice words when I cut my finger on the ragged edge of the broken post.

Wah-lah...

Inspection of the post showed that there was a distinct discoloration inside the wall of the tube about 1/8" long, possibly a defect during the drawing of the material. Who knows, just glad that Paul is Okie Dokie and that the bike will now be on the trail again soon.

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About Me

Hey folks, thanks for stopping by. So...what to tell you about Groovy Cycleworks?
Groovy Cycleworks was born back in the heyday of mountain biking, the early 90's, when bright colors, lycra, and cnc parts ruled the roost.
Learning from one of the true engineering masters of cycling, I acquired a love for clean lines, strong designs, and functional elegance.
I've been doing the "custom" thing since 1994; road, mountain, tandem and a full spectrum of forks, stems, etc...
Drop me a line and we'll see if we can build the bike of your dreams.
cheers,
rody